Introduction

The Moto X and Moto G are the names that brought Motorola back in the game, winning quite a lot of fans in the process. They have just reached their third generation and Motorola is sticking to its established formula for success - pure-Android approach, excellent handling and a nice little extra here and there.

Motorola managed to create a signature touch of its own, while staying as close to pure Google intentions as possible. This, combined with timely software updates has earned the company a number.

The Moto G is the device that redefined the idea of what is possible in the low-end price bracket. The first gen of the handset proved definitively that a budget-friendly phone can deliver solid smartphone experience without any major compromises.

People have even higher expectations for the Moto X to deliver top-notch performance, stability and excellent handling, coupled with a clean Android experience. The lineup was initially best known for its unmatched customization options thanks to the Moto Maker, but with the last Nexus going for the less-than-mainstream 6" display size also became the go-to powerful pure Android for many.

Motorola threw in an interesting surprise this year, as the Moto X now has not one, but two successors - the Moto X Style and Moto X Play. The pair looks similar enough in terms of style and exterior, but hardware differences are pretty big and each has its own niche. While the Moto X Style is aiming for top-level performance, the X Play is all about battery life - a long-overdue response to all those that wanted to see the Maxx lineup go global.

To quickly outline the differences - Moto X Play comes with a smaller 5.5" 1080p screen and the mid-range Snapdragon 615 chipset. It also sports a larger 3,630mAh battery, which combined with the less demanding screen and internals should make it last a whole lot longer. And, of course the Moto X Play is $100 cheaper, which makes the performance downgrade much easier to live with.

Join us on the next two pages as we take the Moto G (3rd gen) and Moto X Style for a spin. Unfortunately, the Moto X Play wasn't present at the announcement event, so we couldn't spend any quality time with it.